Labor tensions are high in Chile as employees of JX Nippon Copper’s Caserones mine near Argentina planned a walkout starting Tuesday following a failure to come together on final wage talks regarding its collective labor contract, according to reports.
Caserones produced nearly 127,000mt of copper in 2020 and is run by Japan’s JX Nippon Mining and Metals division, Lumina. The mine’s production life is estimated at 28 years, through 2040 and holds yearly average copper output volumes approximated at 150,000mt.
This strike comes on the heels of several tense Chilean collective bargaining negotiations at leading copper-producing sites such as Codelco’s Andina mine, while copper supply is limited and trade tensions are high. Media reports note both sides in this dispute have agreed to continue talks with the outcome expected on Wednesday.
Recently on Aug 2, a work stoppage was announced at BHP’s Escondida copper mine that represents 5pc of global copper output. Although per updated reports, BHP and Escondida union leaders are making progress on a wage deal to avoid a strike.